The following is the first of nine position previews in advance of training camp.

Caleb Williams will look to build on a promising first NFL season during which he registered a 93.8 passer rating and set Bears rookie passing records with 351 completions, 3,541 yards and 20 touchdowns.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft also became the first Bears quarterback to start every game in a season since Jay Cutler in 2009. In addition, Williams was one of only four NFL quarterbacks with at least 20 TDs and six or fewer interceptions, joining Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen and Justin Herbert.

Williams no doubt will benefit from the arrival of coach Ben Johnson, who was hired by the Bears after coordinating one of the NFL's most prolific offenses in Detroit. Over the last two seasons, the Lions led the league in points (30.1) and yards (402.2) per game. In 2024, Detroit scored an NFL-leading 68 touchdowns and ranked second with a franchise-record 409.5 yards per game while winning the NFC North title with a 15-2 mark.

At his introductory press conference in January, Johnson described Williams as a "phenomenal talent" and revealed that the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner was a "large component" in Johnson wanting to become the Bears' coach.

This summer in training camp, Williams' growth and development will continue to be paramount. Asked what impressed him most about the young quarterback during offseason workouts, Johnson said: "There's always a throw or two every single day. The movement stuff outside of the pocket, it's what we thought coming into town here, the ability to create. Sometimes you get wrapped up … being in the perfect play all the time … and really with him, it doesn't matter so much what the play call is. If it's the perfect play, then it's great, it's there. If it's not, then he's able to find a way to make it work."

Offensive coordinator Declan Doyle has enjoyed working with Williams.

"Caleb is hungry for growth," Doyle said. "The sky's the limit with his athletic ability, with his talent. But being around him, just the person himself, I think he really wants to do well. I think he wants to be great. It's really important to him. He's been very open to accepting feedback, accepting coaching and really starting to build that relationship where we're going to build this thing and really hit his ceiling."

In 2025, Williams will play behind a fortified interior offensive line after the Bears acquired Pro Bowl guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson in trades with the Chiefs and Rams, respectively, and signed top free agent center Drew Dalman.

Backup plan

The Bears boast a deep quarterback room, with veteran free agent acquisition Case Keenum joining young returnees Tyson Bagent and Austin Reed.

Keenum has appeared in 80 NFL games with 66 starts over 12 seasons with the Texans (2013-14 and 2023-24), Rams (2015-16), Vikings (2017), Broncos (2018), Commanders (2019), Browns (2020-21) and Bills (2022). The University of Houston product has completed 62.3% of his passes for 15,175 yards with 79 TDs and an 84.6 passer rating.

Keenum figures to be a valuable member of the offense regardless of how much he plays. A seasoned pro who led the Vikings to the 2017 NFC Championship Game, he will be an excellent resource for Williams and other young teammates.

That includes Bagent, who returns for a third season. Though he attempted only two passes last year while backing up Williams, Bagent showed promise in 2023 as an undrafted rookie from Division II Shepherd University. After beating out veterans P.J. Walker and Nathan Peterman for the No. 2 spot, Bagent appeared in five games and won two of four starts, passing for 859 yards and three TDs.

At Shepherd, Bagent set the record for most touchdown passes across all NCAA divisions with 159. He won the Harlon Hill Trophy as the Division II National Player of the Year in 2021 and was named Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference East Player of the Year in 2022.

Reed signed with the Bears last year as an undrafted free agent out of Western Kentucky. He spent the season on the practice squad after an impressive preseason during which he completed 12 of 16 passes for 123 yards with one TD and a 117.4 passer rating.

After redshirting at Southern Illinois in 2018, Reed transferred to West Florida and led the Argonauts to the Division II national championship, passing for 4,084 yards and 40 TDs. In 2022, he was voted Conference USA Newcomer of the Year and chosen second-team all-conference at Western Kentucky after throwing for 4,744 yards and 40 touchdowns and rushing for 224 yards and eight TDs on 91 carries.